CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's tennis team continued its 2023 spring campaign Saturday, picking up a pair of wins against Butler (4-3) and Findlay (5-2). With the wins, the Vikings improved to 4-3 overall this season.
In the first match of the day, the Vikings picked up all four of their points on the singles courts against Butler.
"This was a really exciting match, and I think we earned a good win against a good team in Butler. We saw some freshmen grow up before our eyes today, especially Devin who played freely under pressure and handled being in that position to earn the clinching point. We were able to win our second match without the help of the doubles point, which showed a lot of mental toughness to battle back and keep ourselves in the match," head coach Brian Etzkin said.
After dropping the doubles point, the Vikings evened the match with a win from Raul Teichmann at the No. 3 spot, as he earned a 7-5, 6-4 victory. Butler responded with a win at No. 6 singles, before Carl Gedlitschka once again tied the match at 2-2 with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 victory at the No. 5 spot.
Cleveland State then gained a 3-2 edge with a 7-6(2), 6-3 win from Maxime Mareschal-Hay at No. 2 singles, before Butler tied the match at 3-all with a win at the top of the lineup.
Devin Boyer posted the clinching point at No. 4 singles then, as he battled for a 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-2 victory to secure the 4-3 win for the Vikings.
Although the Vikings dropped the early doubles point against Butler, Cleveland State's top team of Kade Mindry and Raul Teichmann was able to pick up a 6-4 victory against Alvaro Huete and Thomas Brennan – the 52nd ranked doubles team in the country.
Once again, Cleveland State picked up all of its points on the singles courts in the second match of the day, earning five singles wins against Findlay.
"I felt like we pushed ourselves against a good team in the second match, Findlay definitely came to battle and I'm proud of how the guys responded. We had some really good, quality competition in the second match, we kept our focus in tight spots and were able to finish off a super day of tennis," Etzkin said.
After dropping the doubles point, Carl Gedlitschka cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 3 singles, before Maxime Mareschal-Hay earned a quick 6-1, 6-1 victory at the No. 2 spot to put Cleveland State up 2-1.
Cole Chappell then gave the Vikings a 3-1 advantage with a 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles, while Kade Mindry clinched the match for the Vikings with a 6-4, 7-5 win at the top of the lineup.
Austin Staiger picked up the final point for the Vikings then, earning a 6-3, 3-6, 1-0(1) victory at the No. 6 spot.
Cleveland State will continue its spring campaign next weekend, traveling to Buffalo on Friday, February 10 and hosting Ball State and Niagara on Sunday, February 12.
